Attic Grave Relief

Unknown artist-0358/-0348

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

The tombs of the Greeks were placed along the roads. Here the passers by could stop and read the names of the deceased. In a small building supported by columns and with a triangular pediment, a woman is shown seated on a backless chair, her feet resting on a stool. The inscription on the architrave tells us her name is Philostrate. She is shown shaking hands with a standing youth who is her son Hippon. The elderly bearded gentleman in the background is his father Agonippos from Piraeus whose hand is resting on the young man’s shoulder. The relief shows a strong bond between the parents and their son. The vase in the pediment indicates that he died unmarried.